Eye shield



AApril 19, 1949. H. VACA 2,467,448

EYE SHIELD Filed Jan. 30, 1947 Y `JNz/ENTOR. Humbero l/aca Patented Apr. 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EYE SHIELD Humberto vaca, Detroit, Mich.

Application January 30, 1947, Serial No. 725,307

4 Claims. (Cl. 2-10) This invention relates to an article of wearing apparel, such as a cap, to be worn on the head and which is provided with means for shielding the eyes of the wearer from bright light, such as the sun.

Specifically, the invention may be incorporated in a cap provided with a visor. The shield is movably and adjustably mounted on the visor so that it may be disposed in a folded position underlying the under surface of the visor, and so that it may be disposed in a position depending from the visor so that the shield lies in front of the eyes of the wearer. The shield is in the nature of sun glasses in that the shield may be made of a colored or tinted translucent material,

such as a plastic, or may be made of glass for that matter. The shield may be made of a material for polarizing the light. An example of use is in athletic activities such as an outfielder on a baseball team. When the player is required to eld a ball which is hlt into the air, the player may, by a simple and quick manipulation, cause the shield to take its depending or operative position before his eyes in order to watch the ball while looking into the sun. It will be appreciated that such participants in athletic events sometimes wear sun glasses for this purpose. Of course, the invention is not limited to use in the eld of athletics but may be used wherever desired such, for example, in driving a car to shield the eyes from bright headlights, the sun, or other light. The device of the invention may also be used to protect the eyes from the glare of snow, water or the like.

'I'he general object of the invention is to pro- Fig. 1 is a view of a portion of a cap showing the underside of the visor with the shield in folded inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of a cap showing the shield in its depending operative position.

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the underside of the visor showing the mounting structure in folded position.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 4--4 of Fig. 3 showing the folded position.

vide an improved mounting for such a shield which is simple in construction, capable of ease in manufacture, possessing a sureness of operation and which can be manufactured at alow cost, so that the price thereof is reected in the sales of the devices so that the public will have Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 5--5 of Fig. 4 showing the pivotal mounting.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the structure in its operating position.

Fig. 7 is a view taken substantially on section line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, the body portion of the cap l is designed to be applied to the head of the wearer in the usual mannerand the cap is provided with a visor 2. The shield may, and preferably does comprise, an element 3 which may be colored plastic or glass, or which may be of a material for polarizing light rays, and the element 3 has a notch or cut out portion 4 for accommodating the nose of the wearer.

On the underside of the visor is mounted a support 6 advantageously formed from sheet metal having a body portion secured to the visor by rivets 1 and having channel shaped edges 8 as clearly shown in Fig. 5. 'I'he central portion v'6 is provided with a slot I0 which aligns with a slot II in the visor 2. Mounted on the support 6 is a clip spring element generally indicated at l5. The anchored end I6 may be elevated from the body of the support by means of an insert I1 through which the attaching rivets extend; the projecting spring arm is fashioned to provide a spring detent portion I9 while the free end preferably diverges away from the support as shown at 20.

A slide member 23 is mounted for sliding movement in the channels 8 (Fig. 5) while an operating finger piece 24 fixedly attached to the slide projects through the slot I0 and through the slot Il in the visor. This slide member has its rear end, that is, the end adjacent the rear portion of the visor, fashioned to provide an abutment 25 and extending from the abutment are -two wings 26. These wings extend forwardly of the abutment. A hinge member 30 is attached to the shield 3 as by means of rivets, as indicated, and this hinge member has upstanding wings 3| designed be aligned with the wings 26' for ,the

3 passage therethrough of a pin 32 to pivotally mount the shield to the underside of the visor. A coil spring 35 surrounds the hinge pin 32 and is arranged in the usual manner so as to yieldably urge the shield toward its depending or operating position as shown in Fig. 2.

The forward end of the hinge member 30, that is, the end more adjacent the forward edge of the visorris turned upwardly as at 31 andjpro-i vided with an aperture 38, thus forming a loop with a bight portion 39 which functions as a catch member.

When the cap is worn while the shield isv ine,

operative, the shield 3 is positioned substantially ilush against the underside of the visor`,.a'.s shown.

- erative position, said shield element being pivotally movable against the spring means into inoperative position in which it lies substantially in Fig. 1. In this position, the ilnger piece 24 is on the support and having a. free end projecting adjacent the rear of the slot Il and the bightf portion 39 of the loop is engaged behind the detent I9 of the springeclip l5. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 4. `In order toA put the visor into use, the wearer' performs the` simple operation of applying a finger to the fing-er piece 24 and then urgingthe finger piece forwardly in Ithe slot Il. To initiate this operation, a small amount of pressure is necessary to cause the bight portion 39 of the loop to move over` the detent I9, and then as the bight portion 39 continues forwardly and arrives at the free end of the spring clip, the spring 35 causes the shield 3 to move quickly to its downward operating position as shown in Fig. 2. This is a pivotal movement about the pin 32.-

Soit will be seen that the shield may be quickly put into use by the application of pressure to the finger piece `Maud-by causing a slight sliding movement thereof. To place theshield back into inoperative position, the wearer is merely required to swing the shield from the position shown in Fig. 2, to a position where it underlies and is substantially parallel to the visor and then by causing a backward sliding movement, the bight portion 39 of the loop engages behind the spring clip, and upon continued movement, the bight portion movesl behind the detent I9. The angular disposition of the free end 2D of the spring clip facilitates movement of the bight portion 39 under the spring clip. Y

l claim:

l. An eye shield structure for head gear provided with a visor, such as a cap, comprising, a support attached to the underside' of the visor having a guideway extending in a fore and aft direction relative to the visor, said, visor having a slot therein, a slide member mounted in the guideway arranged for sliding movement forwardly and backwardly relative to the front edge of the visor, a shield element, means pivotally mounting the shield element on the slide member, spring means normally tending to swing the shield element into a downwardly extending operative position, said shield element being piv otally movable against the spring means into inoperative position in which it lies substantially against the underside 'of the visor and substantially parallel therewith, cooperating interengaging means on the shield element and the support engageable as the shield element and slide member move backwardly in the guideway, to thereby hold the shield element in inoperative position, and a nger piece on the slide extending through the slot in the visor and engageable from above the visor for shifting the slide member in a forward direction relative to the visor to disengage the cooperating interengaging` means;

I2. An eye shield structure for head gear: proagainst the underside -of the visor and substantially parallel therewith, a spring clip mounted forwardly relative to the visor, a. catch member on the slide member having a portion engageable behind the .spring clip as the slide member and shield elementare shifted rearwardly relative to the visor to thereby hold the shield element in inoperative position, and a finger piece on the slide' member projecting through the slot in the visor and engageable for shifting the slide member and visor torwardly to disengage the catch member from the spring clip. 3. An eye shield structure for' head gear provided with` a visor, such as a cap, comprising, a support attached to` the underside of the visor having a guideway extending in a fore and aft direction relative' to, the visor, said visor having a slot therein, a slide member mounted in the guideway arranged vfor sliding movement forwardly and backwardly relative tothe front edge o1' the visor, a shield element, means pivotally mounting the shield element on the slide member, spring means normally tending to swing the shieldelement into a downwardly extending operative position, said shield element being pivotally movable .against the spring means into inoperative position in which it lies substantially against the undersideof the visor and substantially parallel therewith, la spring clip mounted on the'su'pport and having a free end projecting forwardly relative to the visor, a catch member on the slide member having a portion engageable behind the spring clip as the slide member and shield element are shifted rearwardly rela.- tiveto the visor to thereby hold the shield element -in inoperative position, said spring cli-p being fashioned Ito provide a detent portion for yieldably engaging the catch member to hold the slide member and shield elementin rearward position, and a finger `piece on the slide member projecting through the slot in the visor and engageable for shifting the slide member `and shield element forwardly for disengagement ofthe catch member from 'the spring clip.

4'. An `eye shield structure for head gear provided With al visor, -such as a cap, comprising, ay supporting plate on the underside of the visor having'its fore and aft .extending edges of channel formation providing guideways, the supporting plate and visor having aligned slots, a slide member'havingpor-tions slidably positioned in the guideways for sliding-movement forwardly and backwardly relative to the front edge of the visor, a shield element, means pivotally mounting the shield element tothe slide member, spring means normally tending to swing the shield element into a downwardlyex-tendlng operative position, means for limiting the downward swinging movement of the shield element, said shield element being .pivotally movable against Ithe spring means into an inoperative position in which it lies substantially against @the underside of the Visor and substantially parallel therewith, a spring `clip on the support having a forwardly extending free end, a `Catch member `on fthe shield element, said catch member being arranged to engage behind the spring clip as the visor and slide member :are shifted rearwardly relaltive to the florward edge of the visor to hold the shield element in inoperative position, and a post-type finger piece atltached -to the slide member and extending u-pwardly through the :aligned slots in the support and visor and engageable from above the Visor for the Ashifting of the slide member and shield element forwardly flor disengagement of the catch 15 HUMBERTO VACA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS record in the Number Name Date 1,298,636 Altman Apr. 1, 1919 2,172,296 Simkos Sept. 5, 1939 

